Can Providence Day win 4 titles in a row?

Ja’da Brayboy doesn’t load up a stat sheet. The Providence Day senior point guard has only averaged a little more than six points per game in her career.

That’s because she hasn’t had to. She’s been able to pass the ball to players like Nneka Awuruonye (UNC Greensboro and Lenoir-Rhyne), Olivia Parker (Gardner-Webb) and Tiffany Mitchell (South Carolina).

“Last year I had people on my team that could score 20 points on any given day, so there was no point for me to score,” said Brayboy, 17. “I’d rather just distribute the ball, make nice passes. I like making nice passes.”

Brayboy, a UNC Asheville signee, has been a key part of Providence Day’s last three N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A championships. She will have to play an even bigger role this year if the Chargers want to win a fourth straight.

Brayboy, originally from Sumter, S.C., moved to Charlotte when she was in fifth grade. She grew up doing ballet, but quit around the same time she started playing basketball.

She made the varsity team at Providence Day as a freshman and started most games that season, averaging 5.6 points and 1.3 assists.

“Ja’da’s always had a strong, athletic body,” said Providence Day coach Josh Springer. “A lot of kids come into high school and they’re soft. ... Ja’da’s always been able to handle the physicality part of it, which is a big deal.”

Years of ballet helped the 5-foot-7 Brayboy with balance, footwork and posture in basketball. The work ethic also carried over.

“Any sport you do, you have to be dedicated,” Brayboy said. “I don’t think I’ve ever missed a dance recital and I never miss a basketball practice or a game unless there’s a serious incident that happened where I can’t be there.”

Brayboy averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 assists as a sophomore and last year averaged 5.9 points and 3.7 assists. Her biggest improvement over the last three years has been in her assist-to-turnover ratio, which has improved from 1-to-1 freshman year to more than 2-to-1 last year, according to Springer.

“From her freshman year to now she’s made great strides in those areas,” Springer said. “She’s always had good leadership skills.”

Her leadership skills will be even more important this year.

The Chargers graduated four seniors that averaged a combined 38.9 points per game: Parker, Mitchell, Cailan Howey and Dacia Thompson. Brayboy is one of only two starters returning for Providence Day.

“Ja’da knows a lot more of it is on her shoulders, not just scoring and taking care of the ball, but communicating and reaffirming what our expectations are for young players,” Springer said. “She has strong leadership capabilities and I’m looking forward to seeing them blossom even further throughout the year here.”

After three years at point guard, Brayboy is comfortable with her role on the team.

“I feel like (my role) is to lead the team, show them what it is to be on the varsity team and also it’s to make the new people on the team feel a part of the family,” Brayboy said.

Though they may not be as strong as years past, the Chargers have talented players with Brayboy and 6-3 junior center Jatarie White

White averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds last year and is ranked as the No. 3 junior in the country by ESPN. Brayboy signed with UNC Asheville earlier this month, saying that she liked the campus, the coaching staff and the school’s new arena.

“We’ve got a Division I point guard and a Division I post player and I know a lot of teams in America that would love to have that,” Springer said. “Like a lot of teams, we’re not a finished product right now, but I’m excited about where we’re going to go this year.”

The key will be how the other seven players on the roster step up.

“We’re going to have to score the ball,” Brayboy said. “It’s not just, you can give the ball to one person and they go attack the basket. It’s going to have to be a team thing.”

Providence Day has won seven of the last eight NCISAA 3A state championships and hasn’t lost a conference game in nine years. Brayboy wants to uphold that tradition by winning her fourth title in four years.

“It would mean a lot,” Brayboy said. “Not many people can say they’ve won four championships, every year, never lost one. It would be good if that happened, but it’s not going to be easy. You have to work for it everyday. It’s not given just because we have Providence Day (on our jersey).”

Brayboy is willing to do whatever it takes to get there, even if it means that she’s not the one making headlines or filling up the stat sheet.

“I’m not the type of person where I want everything to be about me,” Brayboy said. “My philosophy is the team ... as long as the team succeeds I’m cool with it.”